News and Media

Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves.

Service disruptions at the Class I railroads have come to a head in recent weeks, and shippers and the unions representing rail workers are clamoring for changes to the freight rail industry of a magnitude to match the disruptions.

Some examples of subpar rail service: Excessive dwell times at the origin, resulting in the doubling of transit times between the Midwest and West Coast for grain shippers and tardy arrivals that pressure flour and feed mills and ethanol plants to temporarily cease operations or curtail production. 

Reported by Katabella Roberts for Epoch Times.

Food supply shortages hit a record high in April, as the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict continues to impact worldwide food exports, data from S&P Global published on Monday suggested.

According to the survey, manufacturers worldwide reported sustained price and supply pressures during the last month, while the Global Supply Shortages Index signaled that shortages were just under seven times higher than the normal level, unchanged from March’s four-month high.

Reported by Lillianna Byington for Bloomberg Law.

Workers say a proposed change from the Transportation Department to drug testing rules could unfairly violate their privacy.

The administration is weighing whether to allow a licensed professional of any gender to observe a urine test for drugs. The proposal was included in a broader rule that’s mainly seeking to add saliva sampling to the transportation industry’s drug testing. The comments, pitting employers against employees, were due on the proposal by April 29.

Reported by Mary Kennedy for Progressive Farmer.

Over 25 rail-shipper groups, representing all industries using rail cars to ship products, and all rail-worker unions gave the Surface Transportation Board (STB) no-holds-barred testimonies during the Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service hearings April 26 and 27 at the STB’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The four Class I railroads in the hot seat were the BNSF Railway Company, CSX Transportation, Inc., Norfolk Southern Railway Company and Union Pacific Railroad Company. They also presented testimonies during the hearings.

Video Posted by ABC News. Watch Video here.

Reported by Katabella Roberts for Epoch Times.

Rail backlogs in the United States are delaying the shipment of grains, and further exacerbating inflation, industry experts said at a hearing this week addressing urgent freight rail service issues.

“In recent weeks the board has received communications from a broad range of stakeholders of serious problems affecting the freight rail network, namely inconsistent and unreliable service which has had serious impacts on rail users, particularly those shipping agriculture and energy products,” said Martin J. Oberman, chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which oversees Class I rail carriers and which held a hearing this week.

Reported by Bill Stephens for Trains.

There were more questions than answers on Tuesday as federal regulators sought ways to remedy railroad service problems that defy a quick fix because they are rooted in a shortage of train crews.

Shippers told the Surface Transportation Board that rail service has deteriorated, with delays mounting as transit times have in some cases doubled from normal levels. The slowdown in rail network velocity has forced shippers to curtail or suspend production due to late empty or loaded freight cars, and even prompted farmers to consider culling their herds and flocks for lack of feed.

Reported by Lillianna Byington for Bloomberg Governement.

House members who oversee transportation plan to reauthorize key safety and freight regulators this year, while pushing for legislation to alleviate supply-chain backups.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee laid out an agenda for the year that prioritizes measures to empower the Surface Transportation Board, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Maritime Commission. The panel will consider its fiscal 2023 budget strategy, which reflects “a bipartisan effort,” on Thursday.

AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how precision scheduled railroading has exacerbated the supply chain crisis and subjected railway workers to grueling schedules with little sick time.

Precision scheduled railroading simplifies routing networks with a focus on point-to-point freight car transportation.

Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves.

The Surface Transportation Board has scheduled a hearing for April 26-27 in response to a letter sent by the National Grain and Feed Association about worsening rail service.

The March 24 letter has gotten support from various rail unions and other stakeholders in recent days. These stakeholders are also asking the STB to examine the causes behind the service delays.